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Friday, October 9, 2015

Since having a family, my dream has always been to do a lot of family trips. I remember going on numerous trips with my parents and their friends but I haven't been able to do anything like that with my own family. My husband still hasn't seen most of California since we moved back from Tokyo, so you can imagine my excitement when he told me that his company from Japan wanted to do a photo shoot in San Francisco with Zooey! I immediately planned this into a family trip tho it was really a work trip. As much as I wanted to blog our experience right when we got back, being a working freelance mom, it took me about a week to unpack and the blog was put on the back burner again! OOPS! Before I go into how we Road Tripped with our mini fashionista 3 year old, I want to jot down some memorable moments to re-live our experience! One of the best memories of our trip was the comfortable drive in this KIA SORENTO that we had the opportunity to use courtesy of Drive Shop. I refuse to drive a Mini Van, and was excited to test out this SUV and it by far exceeded my expectations! To see more of their cars see #drivekia

My husband has never driven further than to Long Beach but he got used to this car right away! He is over 6 ft tall so he was really happy with how roomy the seats were! One of my favorite features was the blind spot indicators, where the car would beep when your blinker is on to change lanes. The rear end camera also helped with parking (especially for someone tiny like me!) The traffic in San Francisco was also pretty crazy so the blind spot indicators were super helpful!! There were also other fun features in the car but I can't even say enough about these, and the seat warmers..aaaah. Now let me get into some tips on how I prepared for this Family Trip with our toddler, but be warned, this was not your typical family trip...

TIP #1

ORGANIZED PACKING

Has anyone who traveled with a toddler been able to pack light? I actually tend to pack everything I think I might need, picking up extra basics on the way out of the house. lol If you can't pack light, at least pack in an organized manner. One of the focuses of our trip was to take photo content for Zooey's blog & Instagram, so we actually had to pack a lot..In addition to my suitcase, I packed shoes in one clear box, sweaters + jackets in a tote bag that could stay in the car and not have to be taken into the hotel, and a box or tote of clothes that I could easily bring in and out of the hotel to style the next day's looks. You don't want to be dragging a suitcase in and out of your hotel every night, so prepare accordingly the items you can leave in your trunk and things that you MUST bring into your hotel room at the end of everyday. Most of the clothes in this trunk are to shoot for zooeyinthecity.com. Clothes we already shot, stayed in a different clear box in the trunk. Me, organized? I did it! Photos will be up soooon I promise! (Note: This tips is for Road Trips and not for flying by air. Those baggage allowances..)

TIP #2

HEALTHY SNACKS

On the way to the freeway we stopped by the Japanese Supermarket and got Zooey some snacks. I also prepared some popcorn in our Angels souvenir bucket but Zooey actually ended up sleeping the entire drive because the car ride was SO smooth! If you didn't use your snacks for the drive, they are good for keeping your kids motivated during photoshoots.

Always bring a basic sweater that can be layered with a Jacket or Coat when traveling with a toddler! You can never depend on the weather forecast so layering will most often be your last resort!! When we arrived in San Francisco it was REALLY chilly! I mistakenly looked at the weather forecast which lied to us so I just ended up layering everything we brought in the car. Luckily all her basics went well with each other.

TIP #4STROLLER + STROLLER COVER

Don't leave home without your stroller!! You never know when your toddler is going to get sleepy or tired from walking so the stroller is the only thing that will help you enjoy exploring the city without having to make a pit stop back at the hotel for nap time. Even if your toddler has outgrown his/her stroller, you will really need one for any road trip or vacation! Note: I'm talking about for Toddlers, and not kids who are like 10 years old who don't need naps. *wink*

I also highly recommend this Fashionable stroller cover by LITTLE DREAM BIRD too! It will prevent sunlight from hitting their eyes, protects from the wind and allow them to sleep comfortably with no distractions. Zooey could nap a good 2 hours with this cover over stroller! The quality is nice and thick, yet breathable, and who can resist the sparkly heart on the side?

TIP #5HAVE FUN & TAKE TOURISTY PHOTOS WITH YOUR FAMILY!

I tend to always be the one behind the camera, or sometimes my husband takes photos of me and Zooey so we RARELY have family photos together. I sometimes regret not being one of those wives that absolutely MUST have professional photos taken for special occasions, such as maternity, wedding, etc. I'll be into it one day. Luckily someone awesome took this photo for us.